


Together Forever

by ChristopherIAmToBe, TotallySamanthaToBe



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Brian Banner Is A Dick, Brian Banner's A+ Parenting, Bruce Banner Is a Good Bro, Howard Stark Gets Punched In The Face, Howard Stark Is a Dick, Howard Stark Lives, Howard Stark's A+ Parenting, Hurt Bruce Banner, Hurt Tony Stark, Kid Bruce Banner, Kid Tony Stark, Protective Avengers, Tony Stark Gets a Hug, Tony Stark Has Daddy Issues, Tony Stark Is a Good Bro, Tony Stark Needs a Hug
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-07-24
Updated: 2018-10-01
Packaged: 2019-06-15 15:20:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 4,657
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15415854
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ChristopherIAmToBe/pseuds/ChristopherIAmToBe, https://archiveofourown.org/users/TotallySamanthaToBe/pseuds/TotallySamanthaToBe
Summary: Tony and Bruce are two orphans from abusive homes, outcasts and unwanted. The first day they met, they bonded immediately. Therefore, now they are unable to be separated.Their world is changed when the Avengers decide to adopt them, but there's an unknown catch...The man who abused Tony is the same one who funds the Avengers and owns Avenger's Tower.If only Howard didn't catch Tony playing with Bruce in the communal room, but hey, when has luck ever been on their side when they need it?





	1. Adoption

**Author's Note:**

> This is something I really liked writing. I think this is the first good idea I've ever had when it comes to fanfiction. Tiny science bros! I really hope you enjoy this work because I worked really hard on it. 
> 
> Anyway, read on! 
> 
> ~Christopher

 

(July 25th is my birthday so I'm giving you this the day before! ~Christopher)

 

Tony and Bruce knew who the Avengers were. Every child in the orphanage did. Nobody expected them to come to this specific orphanage where they were. The Avengers wanted to adopt a child but Tony and Bruce doubted it would be them. Both boys came from abusive homes and had frequent nightmares. Anybody who wanted one had to take the other. Both of them had already been returned multiple times after the adults found they were too difficult for them to care for. 

 

Bruce and Tony sat in the corner, holding hands, and watching the Avengers hang out with children individually, in pairs, and in groups. It seemed that they were going to leave until the red head, which they identified as Black Widow, pointed them out. 

 

Tony was the unwanted secret child of Howard Stark, the man who owned Stark Industries. Howard was friends with the Avengers, since he supplied them weapons and other such items. When the abuse had been discovered, they agreed to let the man go as long as he gave Tony up. Bruce was the son of Brian Banner, a man who murdered his own wife for trying to protect her child. The man was now in prison for a long time.

 

Both boys had come to the orphanage at the same time, were around the same age, and were child geniuses. They had bonded as soon as they met each other, preferring to stay away from the rest of the kids. They refused to be adopted if both of them weren't going. The headmaster was kind and understood why they wanted it that way. The headmaster, Mr. Finch, had experience with traumatized and abused children and he had a talent for knowing who could handle high maintenance kids like them. 

 

The Avengers came up to them calmly and sat down in front of them. 

 

"Hi there. What are your names?" Hawkeye asked. 

 

"Bruce." Bruce said quietly. 

 

"Tony." Tony whispered. 

 

"Do you guys want to get adopted?" Captain America asked. Hawkeye face palmed and Black Widow rolled her eyes. Both boys scoffed at the same time. 

 

"Of course we do!" Tony said, narrowing his eyes. 

 

"Nobody wants us. We keep being returned." Bruce said, looking sad. 

 

"And nobody wants both of us. We go together or not at all." Tony growled, raising their held hands. The Winter Soldier, Ant Man, and Falcon started laughing, trying to hide it but failing horribly. 

 

Black Widow was smiling, as well as Hawkeye. The all looked at each other, Steve looking embarrassed. 

 

"We'll be right back." Black Widow said. Tony and Bruce watched them leave, wondering what they were doing. 

 

\---------------------------------------------------

 

"Did you find your child?" Mr. Finch asked as the Avengers came into his office. 

 

"We found our children. We want Bruce and Tony." Black Widow answered. They all noticed Mr. Finch's worried expression. 

 

"Well... They may not be the best option. They're high maintenance and require lots of attention. They've also bonded so they don't do well when they're apart in any way, shape, or form." 

 

"Why is that?" Ant Man asked. 

 

"They both come from abusive homes. Tony had to deal with it much longer than Bruce and a little bit worse. They have very bad nightmares often, and it's easier for them to sleep together. Also, Tony is afraid of small spaces. I was informed he was often locked in closets or other small places for long periods of time with no light or sound. They both hate being alone. 

 

"Can we see their files?" Black widow asked, wanting to be informed. 

 

"Oh... Bruce's you can see but due to a non-disclosure agreement I don't even have a file for Tony. His father is a celebrity of sorts, and instead of going to prison or something, they gave him a deal. If he gave Tony up, nobody would be allowed to say anything. Nobody knew he existed until someone accidentally found Tony and reported it." 

 

"Do you know his last name?" Captain America asked. Mr. Finch shook his head. 

 

"No, but I do know he's very lucky to get away from that monster. Any longer and he could have died." The Avengers looked at each other and shared a single nod. 

 

"We want them." The Winter Soldier said. The headmaster looked shocked and then smiled.

 

"Well, I do believe you'll take good care of them." Mr. Finch handed Black Widow Bruce's files and gave the Avengers the two boys' adoption papers. 

 

After everything was signed, the headmaster went to get Bruce and Tony. 

 

\-------------------------------------------------

 

Tony and Bruce were in their room, playing patty cake, no longer concerned about the Avengers until the headmaster came in, smiling. 

 

"Mr. Finch?" Both boys were confused. 

 

"You boys should start packing. The Avengers want both of you, so hurry now." Tony and Bruce did as they were told, not fully believing that the Avengers were going to keep them. 

 

On the way to Avenger's Tower, Tony started getting nervous. The Stark boy squeezed Bruce's hand, whom cuddled closer, understanding his feelings. Tony had told Bruce about his father and how he was friends with the Avengers and provided everything for them when they first met. The boy was afraid of what would happen if Howard saw him in the tower. 

 

Hopefully, the man would never see him. It would be quite the shit storm if Howard caught Tony with the team he cared for. It would be just his luck. 

 

\------------------------------------------------------

 

 


	2. The Tower

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tony and Bruce’s first day at the tower is pretty chill. They seem to enjoy it well enough but Tony is once again reminded of the danger of staying there.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Beginning: We both hope you enjoy this chapter! We worked really hard on it.
> 
> -Chris and Sam

Tony and Bruce couldn’t believe their eyes. Their room was huge! They had their own bathroom and a walk-in closet that was as big as an SUV. Steve watched with a smile as the two boys ran around the room, finally jumping on their king sized bed. 

 

“It feels like a cloud.” Tony said, hugging one of their many pillows close to his chest. Bruce giggled and hit Tony with one of the pillows, causing a pillow fight to break out between the two. Steve eventually broke it up. 

 

“Okay, okay. That’s enough. I have to go and meet a friend right now. You guys can stay and play with Colonel Rhodes and Jarvis. I’ll see you later.” 

 

“Bye, Mr. Steve.” The boys said in unison. Steve blushed and shook his head. 

 

“Just Steve is fine. Bye.” With that, the blonde was gone. Tony and Bruce wandered out of their room, to the elevator. They pushed all the buttons on the way up, laughing. Buttons were like candy to them. Finally, they reached the communal floor, not being allowed to go to the penthouse for some reason or other. 

 

Walking out into the communal room, they were amazed at all the gadgets there were. They had never seen such a big TV before. The remote, which was on the coffee table, Tony proceeded to grab right away.

 

“Wonder what we should watch…” Tony pondered out loud. Bruce jumped up and down excitedly. 

 

“Something with explosions! Or science!” 

 

“What are you two doing?” They heard a deep voice coming from behind them. They looked to see a black man walking towards them with a smile on his face. 

 

“Who are you?” Tony asked. Bruce punched the young Stark boy’s arm lightly. 

 

“That’s War Machine, idiot! Colonel Rhodes.”

 

“Can we call you Rhodey?” Tony asked. War Machine looked surprised then nodded. 

 

“Of course! That name sounds kind of familiar…” The last part was mumbled to himself, but Tony and Bruce heard it all the same. “Well, I think you two can watch some TV with me.” 

 

“Not Disney…” Bruce said quietly. Rhodey laughed, shaking his head. 

 

“Of course not! I think my head would explode if I watched any of that.” War Machine said. Tony and Bruce laughed at that. 

 

“Well, what are we going to watch?” Tony asked. 

 

“How about… Zombieland?” Both boys seemed intrigued. 

 

“What’s that?” Bruce asked. 

 

“It’s a movie. Sit down and watch, and if you don’t like it, i’ll change it.”

 

\--------------------------------------

 

All three of them were enjoying the movie when lightning flashed outside. 

 

“What was that?” Tony asked, hugging Bruce close. 

 

“Thor’s here.” Rhodey answered. As if on cue, the god of thunder walked into the room, smiling. 

 

“Rhodes, it is good to see you! Who would these little ones be?” Thor was almost yelling. 

 

“This is Tony and Bruce.” Rhodey said, pointing to the boys. “The others just adopted them so they’re ours now.” Thor seemed excited at the fact of children staying in the tower.

 

“We will have great fun! It shall be glorious.” Thor then looked confused for a moment. “Something seems off about this…” The blonde shrugged and resumed speaking loudly and asking the boys questions. 

 

\-----------------------------------------

 

Eventually, Rhodey’s phone started going off. 

 

“Hey, Steve… Yeah? Okay. Uh huh. I understand. Yup, I’ll do it. Thanks, bye!” After a short conversation, Rhodey hung up. “Okay, munchkins. Time for us to get a bath.” Tony and Bruce stared at him for a moment, but nodded. They didn’t bother to complain. They did like baths well enough. The pair obediently followed the man to the elevator all the way to their new bedroom. 

 

“You gonna help us?” Tony asked. Rhodey nodded. 

 

“Yeah, pretty much.” The man answered. “You’re on my floor and I’m here most of the time so I’m one of your primary care-givers I guess…” Tony and Bruce smiled. 

 

“Well, you can count on us bothering you in the middle of the night because we can’t sleep.” Rhodey shook his head. 

 

“For some reason I feel like that’s something you would definitely do, Tones.” War Machine said. 

 

“Huh?” Tony seemed confused. 

 

“What is it?” Bruce asked. 

 

“He called me Tones. Nobody has ever called me that but it’s so familiar…” The boy held Bruce’s hand, finding that tended to help him quite often. Bruce’s presence always made him feel better. 

 

“Well, I think you should get used to me calling you that a lot.” Rhodey said. 

 

“Why?” Tony asked. 

 

“It just feels right.” 

 

“Okay.” Thor had followed them, wanting to help with bathing the small children. 

 

“How old are you Midgardians?” Thor asked. 

 

“I’m 7 and so is Tony.” Bruce answered. 

 

“Interesting. I am still learning about Midgardian years. It is very confusing sometimes.” Thor said. Both boys giggled at that. 

 

“Well, we’ll teach you all about it.” Tony said with a smile. 

 

\------------------------------------------

 

After their bath, Rhodey and Thor tucked them into bed. 

 

“You guys must have had an exhausting day today. Turning in early would probably be a good idea.” War Machine said, smiling. Both boys agreed with him. 

 

“Why was Steve calling you earlier?” Tony asked quietly. The boy had a feeling that he knew why but he wanted to make sure. 

 

“Because Howard Stark was coming over. That guy doesn’t really like kids, especially if they’re in his way. You’ll meet him eventually, when he’s in a good mood but not for a while. He knows we adopted two kids but he doesn’t know who you are yet.” Rhodey explained. Tony felt his blood run cold. That man was so close to seeing him again. It made the young Stark feel sick. 

 

“I don’t want to meet him.” Tony whimpered. Bruce hugged him tightly. 

 

“Hey, it’s okay. Howard won’t hurt you. He’s not that kind of guy.” Rhodey said gently, kissing their foreheads. Tony wanted to tell War Machine how wrong he was. He wanted to tell this man everything Howard had done to him but felt it wasn’t yet the time. 

 

“Okay.” Tony hugged Bruce back, sighing. Bruce understood him and that was all he needed. In only a few minutes, both boys were fast asleep. 

 

\-------------------------------

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Christopher : Today is my birthday! I’m really excited :D
> 
> Samantha : Don’t forget to say happy birthday to Chris in the comments. :P
> 
> Christopher: Aww, thanks. You’re sweet, Sam! ;D


	3. Thor's Old Friend

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tony and Bruce finally meet Jarvis, and Thor meets an old friend.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> School has started up for both of us so updates are probably going to be a bit weird. Hope you enjoy anyway! :D
> 
> ~Chris and Sam

**_~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~_ **

 

Tony and Bruce were sitting in the communal room, playing with blocks, while Thor and Rhodey supervised. The elevator dinged and an older man with thinning hair walked in. Tony looked up immediately, the anxious look on his face replaced with a smile.

 

“Hey, Jarvis! How are you?” Rhodey asked. Jarvis looked at Tony with watery eyes, smiling at the small boy.

 

“I’m doing just fine. Who’s this?”

 

“I’m Tony and this is Bruce!” Tony ran up to Jarvis and hugged his leg, Bruce following close behind. Rhodey and Thor shared a suspicious look.

 

“Well hello, Tony!” Jarvis said, chuckling. “Nice to meet you, Bruce.” Bruce smiled and nodded at the butler.

 

“Nice to meet you, too.” The young boy said. Bruce watched Jarvis closely, obviously trying to protect his friend. Jarvis sighed softly, noting the boy’s mistrust. It reminded him of how guarded Tony was at first.

 

\----------------------------------------------------------------

 

Jarvis was dusting the mansion when he heard a soft cry of pain. Howard Stark came out of a room, a satisfied look on his face.

 

“What are you doing staring at me, Jarvis? Get back to work!” The man growled. As he walked away, Jarvis could hear the faint sound of a child crying. The butler knew his employer was hiding something from him, and now he was beginning to realize that it was serious.

 

Jarvis opened the door to the dark room to find a small boy with large brown doe eyes, much like Maria Stark. The boy was like a skeleton covered in dark bruises. There was barely in inch of uncovered skin on his body. The boy was crying as softly as he could, backing away quickly whenever Jarvis took a step towards him.

 

“It’s okay. I won’t hurt you… I want to help you. Can I do that?” Jarvis kept his voice calm and gentle. The boy stared at him, searching the butler”s face for signs of deception. Jarvis felt his heart break just a little at that.

 

“How?” Jarvis smiled and held out his hand for the boy to take.

 

“Come with me. I’ll make sure you're safe.” The boy reluctantly took the older man’s hand, trusting Jarvis to take care of him. “What’s your name?”

 

“Anthony Edward Stark… I like being called Tony.” Jarvis felt a spike of hatred and disgust for his employer. The butler knew that Howard wasn’t a very kind man, but Jarvis never thought that he would abuse his own child. Jarvis made a vow that he would keep Tony, his Tony, safe. He wouldn’t let Howard harm him ever again as long as he was still breathing.

 

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

That was the beginning of their bond. Jarvis took only a few days to let the child heal before reporting what he’d found, very displeased when Howard got out of his bind so easily. He always made sure to check on Tony and found out recently that he’d been adopted by none other than the Avengers.

 

This was obvious cause for worry since Howard was closely associated with the Avengers. Jarvis knew he had to help Tony and Bruce stay away from Howard as much as possible.

 

Luckily, Jarvis had not been pulled into the Non-disclosure agreement. The butler didn’t really know how that happened but he knew it was a good thing.

 

Thor’s Starkphone started ringing, causing Tony and Bruce to jump a bit. Jarvis put down his Starkpad.

 

“Hello? Yes? Really?!” Thor shouted excitedly as he answered the phone, causing Tony and Bruce to jump a second time.

 

“Oh, yes. Sorry. I’ll be right over. I can’t wait to see you again! Bye!” Thor finished the call and rushed towards the door.

 

“I’m going out for a bit. An old friend called!”

 

And with that the Asgardian exited the room, leaving Bruce and Tony huddled together close to the wall.

 

“Does he always shout in the phone like that?” Tony asked, still a bit tense.

 

“Not often. I wonder who called him.” Rhodey mused, almost to himself. Tony relaxed and Bruce started to release him from their huddle.

 

Bruce quietly murmured to Tony that his ears were still ringing a little as they resumed their fun with blocks. Jarvis, seeing that Rhodey had the situation under control, plugged a pair of earbuds into his Starkpad and relaxed while listening to his favourite band.

 

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

Thor glanced at the shop’s sign before dashing through the door to be met with the sweet aroma of freshly baked pastries.

 

“Over here!” Thor turned to see a woman with long, light brown hair calling to him from a raised table by the window. In front of her she had a pile of doughnut-like pastries under a mound of powdered sugar.

 

“Jane! Is it really you? I got your call and came right over.” Thor said nervously as he approached astrophysicist’s table.

 

Jane, Thor was sure it was her, looked like she was trying very hard not to laugh.

 

“What, do I look funny?” Thor said as Jane cracked up and began giggling wildly.

 

“What the-!” Thor exclaimed in disbelief as Jane began to transform, still rolling around in the chair with giggles.

 

“Loki! You trickster!” Thor shouted, leaving the god of mischief close to falling of his chair with laughter.

 

Frustrated, Thor picked up one of the more heavily powdered pastries and chucked it straight at Loki’s face.

 

Loki fell backwards in surprise, upsetting the table and sending the entire stack of powdered pastries flying in Thor’s direction. The trickster snorted with laughter as he watched the tall Asgardian become bathed in powdered sugar.

 

Thor stood there for a moment, and then began laughing.

 

“Glad to have you back brother!” Thor said as he offered his hand to help Loki up.

 

“Glad to be back! Beignet?” Loki said as he offered the pastry Thor threw at him.

 

Thor threw it at him again, and after they pelted each other with the remaining beignets, giggling as powdered sugar covered them, they cleaned up the mess.

 

Loki ordered a fresh plate of beignets as an apology for the prank and they ate together as they caught up on what had changed since Loki’s last visit.

 

\-------------------------------------------------------------------

 

Quite a while later, Thor’s Starkphone started beeping.

 

“Sorry brother, I have to leave, time for Mr. Stark’s afternoon team meeting.” Loki looked at Thor with disappointment.

 

“You can’t stay a bit longer?” The shorter Asgardian questioned.

 

“No, you know Mr. Stark, and his patience, or lack thereof.” Thor said under his breath.  Loki felt mildly offended on Tony’s behalf, thinking to himself that although the businessman can be impatient at times, he didn’t deserve such harshness as that.

 

“How is Mr. Stark doing anyway?” The thunder god darkened considerably.

 

“Howard Stark is doing quite fine.” He said quickly before rushing out the shop door to his meeting, not wishing to talk any more about the dangerous leader.

 

Loki nearly fell out of his chair for the second time that day.

 

**_~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~_ **

 

Bonus! Want to guess what Jarvis was listening to? Here’s a hint. ;)

 

 

**_~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~_ **

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you liked the chapter! Part of this one was written by Sam so I’ll leave you guys to guess the section. :D
> 
> ~Christopher
> 
> Hope you guys enjoyed my writing and I hope it’s not too bad! :P
> 
> ~Samantha


	4. T-SHIRTS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (And New Chapter Very Soon)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bro, listen to this.

WE HAVE STARTED SELLING TINY SCIENCE BROS T-SHIRTS! 

 

I WORKED REALLY HARD ON DRAWING IT BY HAND SO I HOPE YOU LIKE IT!

 

ANYWAYS THE URL IS: https://teespring.com/tiny-science-alliance-t-shirt#pid=2&cid=2122&sid=front

 

SO I HOPE YOU'LL LIKE THEM AND THAT YOU WILL BUY THEM (MAYBE)? PLEASE TELL US WHAT YOU THINK!

 

I forgot to turn caps lock off the whole time. XD ~ Chris

 

Sorry we haven't updated in a while but it's been weird with school and all. We promise you that we're almost finished with the next chapter and that we'll get it uploaded ASAP! Also, Chris drew more T-shirt designs, (though unrelated to Science Alliance), that we may or may not upload later depending on how well this one does. We both sincerely hope you like it and you like our story, too.

We worked really hard to make this T-shirt a reality when we got the idea because we thought you guys would like it. So yeah, maybe it'll be good? Chris redrew the entire design 5 times because he wanted to make it perfect. Anyway, that's all we got for now! 

 

We love you, our faithful readers! We thank you so much for all of your support, and especially your extreme patience. It amazes Chris really that you all are willing to wait so long for a new chapter. But yeah, it'll be up by at least Monday or Tuesday. Chris and I don't see each other too often, which is why it can't be finished today. We both don't have a lot of time to hang out when we do hang out so we make do how we can. Google docs is an amazing thing sometimes. A real life-saver in some cases. (Or fan-saver XD) 

So yeah, look at our T-shirt and maybe buy it if you like it! Enjoy the update when it comes out! Bye! ~ Sam

 

Bye! ~ Chris

 

 


	5. Howard

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The science alliance built a tower!
> 
> Plus, Howard Stark's thoughts as he comes to visit the bros. He's pretty dark.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey so we finally finished the chapter! Hope you like it but a little bit of a warning… There are a few feels in here. Enjoy! 
> 
> ~ Sam and Chris

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Jarvis was startled by a very manly scream. The butler paused his music, taking out his earbuds and looked up to see Tony and Bruce climbing up their tower of tiny blocks, which was almost to the ceiling. 

“Tony! Bruce! Get down from there!” Jarvis yelped. The butler was freaking out along with Rhodey as the children paid them no mind. Suddenly, the elevator opened, startling both of the young boys, causing them to hurry and hide behind Jarvis and Rhodey. 

Thankfully, it was only Steve, Natasha, and Clint, whom were all chatting excitedly. Steve noticed the boys hiding and then their tower and gasped. 

Clint ran toward the tower and started fanboying. The archer tapped it lightly and an avalanche of blocks rained upon him. “FUCK!” 

“Language, Clint! There are children in the room!” Both boys burst into a fit of giggles. 

“Dick.” Tony whispered under his breath, causing Bruce to giggle so much that he started snorting, making the other boy blush harshly. “You’re so cute!” Tony screamed, hugging his best friend. 

“Not as much as you.” Bruce said blushing as well. 

“That is so fucking cute!” Clint yelled, still buried under the blocks. Steve glared at the part of the sea of blocks where he assumed Clint was. 

“Tony, Bruce, we have a surprise for you!” Steve said in a sugary sweet voice that was reserved specifically for kids. The two boys glared at him, both raising a single eyebrow. “Our very special friend, Howard Stark is coming over.” 

“Yeah, he is a dick.” Bruce whispered to Tony. Tony was about to throw a fit, eyes watering and bottom lip trembling. Jarvis immediately tried to diffuse the situation, taking Tony and Bruce to the kitchen, telling the others he was getting them a snack. 

“I can help hide you, dear Tony. I can’t imagine what that man would do to you if he found you!” Jarvis said quietly. “I can tell Steven that you’re not feeling well. He would leave you alone then.” Tony whimpered and started crying, shaking his head. One hand was grabbing a fistfull of hair and the other held Bruce’s own hand tightly. 

Bruce tried to calm Tony down, gently kissing the other boy’s ear. Tony smiled a tiny bit. Bruce responded with kissing Tony’s cheek, making the other giggle quietly through the tears. 

“I won’t let him hurt you, Tony. You’re mine so that means I have to protect you.” The black-haired boy growled. That statement made Tony blush harshly. 

“He’ll be here soon so let’s hurry now.” Jarvis said quietly, pushing the boys towards their bedroom.  
\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Howard checked his watch, estimating how long he would have to spend with the Avengers’ new adopted kids before he had to leave. The twisted businessman never liked kids and was impatient to get his public appearance over with so he could move onto more important matters.

He was hoping he never had to see them again after this visit. Howard doubted he could trust his team’s judgemental skills when it came to picking the best options. He had told them one child and instead they brought back two. According to them, the two children had lots of problems as well, which he was not looking forward to dealing with.

He prefered easy, submissive children who obeyed his every whim without a word. Howard would say that it was safe to assume these children were wild and uncontrollable. The businessman smirked as he thought of all the ways he could fix that.

Howard thought of his only child, which was God knows where. He hadn’t wanted to lose the boy yet but he was only a little too careless. It was going to be hard to keep Jarvis quiet for much longer but he couldn’t fire the man. He would tell everyone what had really happened. The businessman couldn’t allow that. 

Howard sighed, remembering a time when he was happy. Now he found he couldn’t go five minutes without lashing out at someone. It was their fault anyway. The only people that were satisfactory to him were gone. Jarvis had been competent at one point, but he had lost that privilege. 

There was only one thing left that he found light in, and even that he knew wouldn’t last. No, he would make it last.

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Howard and Maria looked at Anna with a smile. 

“You’ll be just fine, dear.” Maria said, holding Anna’s hand. 

“Yes, and we’ll be here to support you.” Howard said encouragingly. Anna smiled at Maria, nodding her head. 

“Of course you will.” Anna replied. Edwin held his wife’s hand. 

“I am excited to see our new little one.” The butler said softly. Anna laughed. 

“He’ll be here soon.” 

The kind woman soon went into labor and hours passed while the three waited. When the doctor came out, he had a very grave look on his face. 

“Are you Edwin Jarvis?” Edwin nodded. 

“Is something wrong?” The butler asked, now worried. 

“I’m sorry… Your wife died from complications and the baby didn’t make it…” The doctor left, leaving Edwin and Maria to weep. Howard sat there in shock, refusing to shed a single tear. 

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Maria became pregnant soon after Anna’s death. There were no complications but after little Tony was born, Howard hid his wife and the baby from the public. As soon as Tony was a year old, Howard took the toddler away from Maria, making sure there was no documentation of the boy’s existence. 

Maria fell into a deep depression afterwards, turning to a wide variety of drugs for comfort. Howard was disgusted, blaming the child for his wife’s behavior. Tony was confused as to why he and his mother were seperated, often asking Howard where Maria was. Howard never would answer the boy’s question.

Howard found Tony was disappointing no matter what the child’s performance was in, quite unlike the businessman’s proudest creation, Captain America. The great Steve Rogers was an icon that Tony could never measure up against. 

That didn’t mean Howard didn’t actively try to make Tony live up to those impossible expectations. Harsh punishment would result from any failure, no matter how small or insignificant it seemed. 

Sometimes the twisted businessman wouldn’t need a reason, enjoying blaming the child for any problems that arose. It was a way for Howard to release his pent up anger and frustration from the day. 

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Howard remembered the day he found his beautiful wife on the bedroom floor, shaking violently and completely incoherent. The businessman called 911 immediately, only to find hours later that she was gone, taken away by an overdose. That day, Tony got the worst of his rage, and it was miraculous that the boy survived. 

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

After losing the closest person he knew, Howard began to think differently, more so than after Anna’s death. Nothing ever satisfied him. He felt as if all the light had left the world, so he endeavored to create his own twisted light in things. 

Hurting Tony in the present wasn’t enough for him anymore, he needed to ruin Tony’s future too, and that’s what he did…

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The ding of the elevator pulled Howard out of his reminiscing, and he looked up as the door opened to the common room of the Tower.

“Okay. Let’s get this over with…”

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay so we hope you liked our chapter! Be sure to check out our shirts. :P (See previous chapter) Next update we will try to get out sooner. 
> 
> ~Sam and Chris

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you enjoyed this. TotallySamanthaToBe wanted to help me write this so we've marked it as a co-op. Kudos and comments are very appreciated. I'm so happy and grateful to have readers like you!
> 
> ~Christopher


End file.
